Obscure Arcade Games Of The 80’s: 1983-1984
A look at some of the lesser known arcade games of the early 80s. How many have you played?
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COMPLETE GAME LIST:
001 – Dr. Micro – Sanritsu
002 – Exerion – Jaleco
003 – Guzzler – Tekhan
004 – Harem – IGR
005 – High Way Race – Taito
006 – Hoccer – Eastern Micro Electronics
007 – Hopper Robo – Sega
008 – I, Robot – Atari
009 – Intrepid – Nova Games
010 – Joinem – Bally Bidway
011 – Joyful Road – SNK
012 – Jump Coaster – Kaneko
013 – Kick Boy – Nichibutsu
014 – Lover Boy – GT Enterprise
015 – Markham – Sun Electronics
016 – Marvin’s Maze – SNK
017 – Money Money – Zaccaria
018 – Mouser – UPL
019 – Mr. TNT – Techstar
020 – New Sinbad – ATW USA Inc
021 – Nova 2001 – UPL
022 – Phozon – Namco
023 – Popper – Omori
024 – Raiders – Century Electronics
025 – Regulus – Sega
026 – Roc’n’Rope – Konami
027 – Saturn – Zilec Jaleco
028 – Scrambled Egg – Technos
029 – Senjyo – Tehkan
030 – SF-X – Nichibutsu
031 – Sinbad Mystery – Sega
032 – Sky Lancer – Orca -1993
033 – Star Jacker – Sega
034 – Stinger – Seibu Denshi
035 – Super Doubles Tennis – Data East Corporation
036 – Super Glob – Epos
037 – Tin Star, The – Taito
038 – Traverse USA – Irem
039 – Tropical Angel – Irem
040 – Uncle Poo – Diatec
041 – Van-Van Car – Sanritsu
042 – Vastar – Orca
043 – Yamato – Sega
044 – Acrobatic Dog Fight – Technos Japan
045 – Appoooh- Sanritsu Sega
046 – BanBam – Sun Elecronics
047 – Bank Panic – Sanritsu Sega
048 – Battle-Road, The – Irem
049 – Ben Bero Beh – Taito
050 – Bull Fighter – Alpha Denshi
051 – Bullfight – Coreland Sega
052 – B-Wings – Data East
053 – Champion Boxing – Sega
054 – Cheyenne – Exidy
055 – Chicken Shift – Bally Sente
056 – Chinese Hero – Taiyo
057 – Circus Charlie – Konami
058 – Complex X – Taito
059 – Country Girl – Royal Denshi
060 – Crater Raider – Bally Midway
061 – Crowns Golf – Namco
062 – Cycle Mabou – Taito
063 – D-Day – Jaleco -1984
064 – Demolition Derby -Bally Midway
065 – Do Run Run – Universal
066 – Dragon Buster – Namco
067 – Drakton – Epos
068 – Driving Force – Shinkai
069 – Eeekk! – Epos
070 – Eight Ball Action – Seatongrove
071 – Equites – Alpha Denshi
072 – Field Day – Taito
073 – Fighting Basketball – Paradise Co.
074 – Fire Battle – Wood Place
075 – Freeze – Cinematronics
076 – Future Spy – Sega
077 – Gladiator 1984- SNK
078 – Goalie Ghost – Bally Sente
079 – Great Swordsman – Allumer Taito
080 – Grobda – Namco
081 – Gyrodine – Crux
082 – Hero – Century Electronics
083 – Hole Land – Tecfri
084 – Hunchback Olympics – Century Electronics – Seatongrove
085 – Imago – Acom
086 – Itazura Tenshi – Nichibutsu Alice
087 – Jack Rabbit – Zaccaria
088 – Jumping Cross – SNK
089 – Jumping Jack – Universal
090 – Kamikaze Cabbie – Data East
091 – Kick Rider – Universal
092 – Kick Start – Wheelie King – Taito
093 – Liberation – Data East
094 – Lode Runner – Irem
095 – Mad Crasher – SNK
096 – Mister Viking – Sega
097 – Mr. Kougar – ATW
098 – Mysterious Stones – Dr John’s Adventure – Technos Japan
099 – Ninjakun Majou No Bouken – UPL
100 – Off The Wall – Bally Sente
101 – Pandora’s Palace – Konami
102 – Peter Pack Rat – Atari
103 – Pinbo – Jaleco
104 – Pirate Ship Higemaru – Capcom
105 – Progress – Chuo Co
106 – Revenger ’84 – Epos
107 – Roller Jammer – Nichibitsu
108 – Rumba Lumber – Taito
109 – Sea Fighter Poseidon – Taito
110 – Seicross – Nichibutsu Alice
111 – Snacks’n’Jaxson – Bally
112 – Snake Pit – Sente
113 – Son Son – Capcom
114 – Spatter – Sega
115 – Star Force – Tehkan
116 – Super Bag Man – Valadon Automation
117 – Super Basketball – Konami
118 – SWAT – Coreland
119 – Three Stooges in Brides Is Brides – Mylstar
120 – Timber – Bally Midway
121 – Tube Panic – Nichibutsu
122 – Two Tigers – Bally Midway
123 – Wai Wai Jockey Gate-In! Jaleco – Casio
124 – Wanted – Sigma Enterprises
125 – Wily Tower – Irem
126 – Zaviga – Data East
127 – Zwackery – Bally Midway
Bet bullfight would go over well in 2023
Huh. I was told that in the early 1980s, every single arcade game was just a Pac-Man clone. I look at this video and every single game, even the maze chase ones, has loads of depth and interesting ideas, some of which wouldn't ever be tried again. Methinks retro gamers should do their part in trying to preserve these old titles instead of constantly praising the same revolving door of 90s console games.
Could never get Joyful Road to work on an emulator. I have the SNK collection on Steam and it works. Funny how it was only ported to the Texas Instruments Home Computer which was my first game system.
i'm actually just as interested in who some of these obscure companies were, too. fascinating stuff.
The only one I know for sure i've seen and played was Demolition Derby. Fun game. A lot of these look interesting and fun.
Awesome games.
So I'll feel pretty blessed if I saw any of these in person (and my child brain remembers it). Going down the list:Exerion—saw it in a hotel once during a trip.Guzzler—Saw it on Starcade, which doesn't count, but it's something.I, Robot—Yes! Saw it in a grocery store entranceway first and was obviously blown away because the 3D visuals were years ahead of their time. (And also blown away by how purely abstract the game was.)New Sinbad 7—Surely the most obscure game I've actually seen in person. Even as a kid, I knew this was a truly bizarre discovery. Some arcade in a very small nearby town.Roc 'n Rope—I saw this in several places so never regarded it as obscure. I did regard it as a pretty un-fun looking game, though.Traverse USA—Grocery store. The tune it plays during gameplay, I for some reason stole and reused in a game I made for the VIC-20. It's just what you did back in the day as a kid I guess.Bank Panic—Absolutely not obscure. Saw it all throughout the 80s.Circus Charlie—Local arcade.Demolition Derby—Gas station. I remember how dark these graphics were.Peter Pack Rat—Obscure? More like ubiquitous. Atari must have had a lot of push with arcades because just about everything they ever produced was generally widely seen in arcades.Seicross—Arcade. I must have spotted it in the late 80s because I remember thinking it looked quite outdated.Tube Panic—Mall arcade during a trip.Two Tigers—Gas station. I actually thought this one was fairly popular.
Uncle Poo, Hunchback Olympics.
I stumbled upon the Lover Boy game when I was browsing classic arcade games and that shite is fricking traumatizing for a 12 year old. I originally got into old arcade games cause they usually weren't graphic, but this game taught me otherwise.